Anika Begay
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms Inc., during an interview on “The Circuit with Emily Chang” at Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California, U.S., Thursday, July 18, 2024.
Jason Henry | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A bipartisan group of lawmakers sent Half CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote a letter Thursday expressing concern that the company is failing to prevent illicit drug ads from appearing on its platform.
The House members cited recent reports from the Wall Street Journal and the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project, which found a rash of ads on Facebook and Instagram that directed users to third-party services where they could purchase prescription drugs, cocaine and other recreational drugs.
“On March 16, 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. federal prosecutors were investigating Meta for facilitating the sale of illicit drugs,” the lawmakers wrote. “Instead of quickly addressing the issue and completely removing the infringing content, on July 31, 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported again that Meta was ‘‘serving ads on Facebook and Instagram that direct users to online marketplaces for illegal drugs.’’’
What is more troubling, they wrote, is that Meta continues to air ads despite the company being under investigation by U.S. federal prosecutors “for facilitating the sale of illicit drugs.”
The letter’s 19 authors include Reps. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.). They noted that the illicit drug ads were “approved and monetized by Meta” and were not hidden on the dark web or private social media pages. Media outlets and researchers could easily find the ads, which contained “overt references to illicit drugs,” while Meta’s internal processes apparently missed them.
“We have heard repeatedly from Meta that users come to your platforms because they value the personalization and experiences you provide, and you use sensitive personal information to drive that personalization through content and advertising,” the lawmakers wrote. “We in Congress have, on multiple occasions, worked to establish data privacy and security protections for Americans, but in each case we have encountered friction and opposition from Meta with claims that we would drastically cut off this personalization you are providing.”
They sent Zuckerberg a list of 15 questions aimed at uncovering more details about how Meta is addressing the problem and asked him to respond by September 6.
Meta confirmed receipt of the letter and said it plans to respond. The company shared with Vscek the same statement it gave the Journal for its initial story.
“Drug dealers are criminals who operate across multiple platforms and communities, which is why we work with law enforcement to help combat this activity. Our systems are designed to proactively detect and enforce content that violates laws, and we reject hundreds of thousands of ads for violating our drug policies. We continue to invest resources and further improve our enforcement of this type of content. Our hearts go out to those suffering the tragic consequences of this epidemic, and we must all work together to stop it.”
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